How life has changed in Cheshire West and Chester

Cheshire West and Chester's population increased by about 7,600 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population reached nearly 330,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Cheshire West and Chester increased by 2.4%, from almost 322,000 to 330,000.

The addition of about 7,600 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Cheshire West and Chester was home to, on average, 2.6 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was lower than the average across the North West

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the North West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Cheshire West and Chester

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Cheshire West and Chester increased by three years, from 39 to 42 years.

This area had a higher average age than the North West and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 8,100 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 10,000.

About 12.0% of people in Cheshire West and Chester are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Cheshire West and Chester by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Cheshire West and Chester residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 8.9% to 5.5% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (81.5%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 70.2% in 2001. The percentage of Cheshire West and Chester residents that described their health as fair decreased from 20.9% to 12.9%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 11.0% in 2001 to 6.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Cheshire West and Chester decreased by 3.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Cheshire West and Chester, the North West and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Cheshire West and Chester

The percentage of Cheshire West and Chester residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.4% to 4.0% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 14 (7.3%) reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 7.5% in 2001. The percentage of Cheshire West and Chester residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 88.7%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 3.7% in 2001 to 4.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Cheshire West and Chester

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Cheshire West and Chester was among those who said they had no religion, rising 11.2 points.

In 2011, 23.6% of respondents in Cheshire West and Chester gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 12.3% of those who answered in 2001.

Across the North West, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion and described themselves as having no religion increased from 11.3% to 21.1%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Cheshire West and Chester, 75.0% said they were Christian, compared with 86.7% in 2001. About 0.6% said they were Muslim, compared with 0.4% a decade prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism increased from 0.2% to 0.3%.

In Cheshire West and Chester, 6.5% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 6.9% in 2001. Across the North West, 6.2% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population that said they had no religion in Cheshire West and Chester increased by 11 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, North West and Cheshire West and Chester by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Cheshire West and Chester that rented privately increased from 6.6% to 12.5% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over one in seven (14.7%) households lived in social housing, compared with 16.4% in 2001. The percentage of Cheshire West and Chester households that owned their home decreased from 74.4% to 70.8%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 8.5% in 2001 to 15.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 16.9%.

Private renting in Cheshire West and Chester increased by 5.9 percentage points

Percentage of households in Cheshire West and Chester, the North West and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Cheshire West and Chester working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 12.4% to 9.8% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just under 1 in 30 (3.0%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.9% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 11.1% in 2001 to 8.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13.0% to 10.1%.

Long hour working in Cheshire West and Chester decreased by 2.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Cheshire West and Chester, the North West and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

More homes without children

The percentage of households without children increased in Cheshire West and Chester at a faster rate than across England.

In Cheshire West and Chester, the proportion of households without children increased from 59.8% in 2001 to 62.0% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion across England increased from 61.1% to 61.2%.

Across the North West, the share of households without children increased from 59.3% to 60.8%.

The proportion of households with children in Cheshire West and Chester fell from 29.8% to 27.6%, while the proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents remained close to 10.4%.

The proportion of households without children was higher than across the North West

Percentage of households without children across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

More people living alone

The percentage of one-person households increased here at a faster rate than across England.

In Cheshire West and Chester, the proportion of one-person households increased from 27.4% in 2001 to 29.6% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion across England increased from 30.2% to 30.3%.

Across the North West, the share of one-person households increased from 30.9% to 32.2%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Cheshire West and Chester increased from 8.0% to 9.6%, while the percentage of households with a married couple decreased from 41.4% to 36.1%.

The percentage of households with only one person was lower than across the North West

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

More adults are separated from partners

The percentage of adults in Cheshire West and Chester that had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased from 9.7% to 11.4% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in two (50.1%) people aged 16 and over said they were married, compared with 55.4% in 2001. The percentage of single people in Cheshire West and Chester increased from 26.4% to 30.9%.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 11.0% in 2001 to 12.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 10.6% to 11.6%.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was lower than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in rate of self-employment

The percentage of Cheshire West and Chester residents that were self-employed increased from 7.7% to 9.0% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who said they were employed remained close to 54.0%, while the percentage of Cheshire West and Chester residents that were unemployed increased from 2.8% to 3.7%.

The proportion of self-employed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 7.1% in 2001 to 8.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.2% to 9.7%.

The rate of self-employment was higher than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were self-employed across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Cheshire West and Chester

In 2011, 97.4% of Cheshire West and Chester residents said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, making it the most common ethnicity in this local authority area. The population from these groups has increased from 98.5% in 2001.

Across the North West, the percentage of people from one of the White ethnic groups fell from 94.4% to 90.2%, while across England the percentage went from 90.7% to 85.1%.

Around 1.2% of people in Cheshire West and Chester said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, compared with 0.7% in 2001. About 0.9% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.5% a decade prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.1% to 0.3%.

The population from one of the White ethnic groups in Cheshire West and Chester decreased by 1.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Cheshire West and Chester by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Cheshire West and Chester residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 2.2% to 2.6% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.2%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 2.4% in 2001 to 2.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Cheshire West and Chester remained close to 2.6%

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Cheshire West and Chester by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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